Joshua Kelley rushed for nearly 1,500 yards and 22 touchdowns as a high school senior to earn Golden League Offensive Player of the Year and a two-star recruiting rating. The shifty, speedy running back received interest from schools across California. The high academic achiever held offers from Cal Poly and UC Davis, two of the most prestigious public institutions in America. Kelley debated between the two schools two years ago but once he saw Ron Gould’s resume, Kelley made up his mind. He would spend the next four years as an Aggie.
“When you ever hear names like Marshawn Lynch, Justin Forsett, C.J. Anderson, those are three starting running backs in the NFL, so that was a HUGE reason I came here,” Kelley said following UC Davis’ practice on Wednesday morning. “Ever since I’ve been here, I can totally see why that happened. He’s been the perfect coach for me.”
UC Davis sophomore Joshua Kelley/ UC Davis athletics
Despite backing up senior Manusamoa Luuga for a second straight season, Kelly is already having a productive career under Gould’s tutelage. Kelly averaged 5.5 yards per carry and rushed for 530 yards and three touchdowns in 10 games as a freshman in 2015. As UC Davis prepares to come to Bobcat Stadium since 2013 to play Montana State, Kelly is averaging 6.6 yards per carry and has 453 yards and three touchdowns nine games into his sophomore year.
Luuga and Kelley are just the latest in the seemingly endless string of standout ball carriers produced by Gould. Davis’ head coach took over in 2013 after a 16-year string of success as the running backs coach at Cal.
Gould, a 51-year-old from Tucson, Arizona played defensive back for two seasons at Scottsdale Community College before transferring to Wichita State in 1986. The following year, the school cut football and Gould finished his career at Oregon. He began his coaching career in Eugene as a Ducks graduate assistant in 1990.
In 1992, Gould joined Pokey Allen’s staff at Portland State before following Allen to Boise State in 1993. In 1997, he joined Tommy Holmoe’s staff at Cal and began one of the most successful careers of any assistant in the Pac 12. Jeff Tedford took over in 2002 and retained Gould. In 11 seasons, Tedford went 82-57, winning five of eight bowl games and finishing in the Top 25 four times.
Gould’s ability to consistently develop running backs proved a key to the success of Cal’s squads during both regimes. Gould’s most famous pupil is Lynch, an All-American at Cal before becoming a five-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl champion in the NFL.
UC Davis head coach Ron Gould
Under Gould’s tutelage, Lynch posted back-to-back 1,250 yards seasons, rushed for 3,230 yards and scored 29 touchdowns for the Golden Bears. The first-round draft pick played three and a half years for the Buffalo Bills and five and a half for the Seattle Seahawks before retiring last off-season. He rushed for 9,112 yards and 74 touchdowns in his NFL career. He rushed for at least 1,036 yards six times and more than 1,200 four times.
“His coaching style, his approach, he emphasizes we have to be big, strong and fast,” Kelley said. “He talks about Marshawn. He emphasizes fast, physical and aggressive. Energy, effort and focus, he preaches that to us. It’s just a mindset we all take that we have to win one-on-one matchups and be out there aggressive. I really think those are the things that are key.”
Gould also coached Forsett (2004-2007), Shane Vereen (2008-2010) and C.J. Anderson (2011-2012), all starting running backs in the NFL at certain points in their pro careers. Forsett rushed for a career-best 1,266 yards and eight touchdowns in 2014 for the Baltimore Ravens. Anderson has rushed for nearly 1,600 yards and 13 touchdowns over the last two year for the Denver Broncos. Vereen piled up nearly 3,000 yards from scrimmage and scored 19 touchdowns in four seasons with the New England, a run that included a Super Bowl championship with a win over Lynch and the Seahawks in February of 2015.
“I’ve been really fortunate to have some really, really talented players,” Gould said. “Guys have been able to listen to all the little fundemantal things you need to have an opportunity to be a good player. But the hats go off to the guys I’ve been able to coach over the years. They are pretty special kids, very dynamic.”
Gould has struggled to win games in the Big Sky — he is 11-32 as his fourth season comes to an end, including 9-21 in league play — but his ability to develop stud tailbacks continues.
Gabe Manzanares/ Davis athletics
Gould turned San Francisco City College transfer Gabe Manzanares into the 2013 Big Sky Newcomer of the Year. That season, Manzanares rushed for 1,285 yards and 10 touchdowns as Davis posted a 5-3 league record. Despite battling injuries as a senior, he rushed for 839 yards and five touchdowns in 2014.
Last season, Luuga took over and rushed for 613 yards and six touchdowns despite Kelley’s emergence as a true freshman. Luuga is well on his way to All-Big Sky Conference honors. His nine touchdowns are tied for the league lead. Only Cal Poly junior fullback Joe Protheroe (1,037), North Dakota sophomore tailback John Santiago (864) and Southern Utah senior running back Malik Brown (839) have more rushing yards than Luuga’s 812 entering Saturday’s matchup at Montana State.
“The one thing I’ve learned from Coach G is the fundamentals of the game and the position,” Luuga said. “I wasn’t detail oriented when I came in. Now I understand schemes and why we do the things we do in terms of footwork and terms of reads. What can we expect when see certain defensive looks? He’s helped me in terms of my IQ and my knowledge of the game.”
Sophomore Keelan Doss has 52 catches for 649 yards and six touchdowns in a breakout sophomore season. Luuga’s 22 catches and 228 yards are second on the team. Luuga eared carries as a freshman and as sophomore behind Manzanares. He has gone from solid prospect out of California powerhouse Long Beach Poly to one of the best running backs in the Big Sky over the last four years.
“Manu is the heartbeat of our team,” Gould said. “He brings his hard hat every day. Over the years, you grow, you wake up and you are not this freshman. One day, you wake up and you are the old man of the group. I think he’s done a great job of putting himself in a position to earn the right to be the guy.
“We count so much on this guy whether we are throwing the ball to him, handing him the ball or asking him to protect.”
MSU head coach Jeff Choate
Montana State’s rushing defense has been solid this season. MSU is fifth in the Big Sky by allowing 151.3 yards per game on the ground. But the Bobcats have struggled otherwise, losing six consecutive conference games leading up to Saturday’s home finale against UCD.
Montana State and Davis have identical 2-7 records. Davis beat NAIA power Southern Oregon and Northern Colorado for its lone Big Sky win. MSU beat Bryant and Division II Western Oregon in back to back weeks and have not won since.
Montana State head coach Jeff Choate knows if his team is to earn a breakthrough, it will start and end with slowing down Gould’s one-two punch.
“Ron has a great reputation of developing backs,” Choate said. “He’s got two good ones there for sure. That’s something he’s had a reputation for a long time.
“They are very much committed to running the football. We will have to slow it down if we want to have a chance.”
